Development and Validation of Manipulatives for Home-Based Physics Experiments
Anna Carmela B. Bonifacio (a,b), Voltaire M. Mistades (b*)

(a) Philippine Science High School
(b) De La Salle University
*voltaire.mistades[at]dlsu.edu.ph

Abstract

The aim of this study is to design and validate manipulatives for home-based Physics experiments. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused tremendous and rapid changes to educational systems worldwide, immediately shifting from traditional on-the-ground teaching to virtual classroom instruction or modular learning approach to name a few. Similarly, it has made doing laboratory experiments problematic. Demonstrations are limited just to the four corners of the electronic gadget^s screen while simulations can only do so much in terms of experiential learning: hence, the urgency of developing of these low-cost laboratory kits for students^ use at home. The laboratory activities and kits went through thorough examination for validation by three experts in the field of Physics, all of whom are Masters-degree holders. The setup was found to be valid, with an overall mean of 4.67 from a 5-point Likert scale validation tool. The effectiveness, in terms of performance of learners, was established using quasi-experimental methods involving 30 students in the control group and 30 learners in the experimental group. The control group was exposed to customary lectures via online class with virtual simulations. The students in the experimental group attended the same online lectures and were provided with the home-based manipulatives kit. The analysis and interpretation of data collected from the pretest-posttest scores of the student-participants revealed that the laboratory manipulative kits are effective and highly acceptable. The normalized gains of the experimental group increased significantly as compared with the control group.

Keywords: Experiment, Physics, Manipulatives, Laboratory skills, Experiential learning

Topic: Physics Education